DVD – Page 4 – NerdBeach

I believe everyone with an interest in video games will remember the last generation of video game consoles, with Sony's PS2 commanding the field, the Xbox coming in second, and Nintendo's Gamecube coming in a soft third. Things were looking bad for Nintendo.

What a difference a generation makes. The fiscal year 2008 ended in March, and now Nintendo has sold as many home console units in that period as Microsoft and Sony combined. This number could have even been greater if the manufacturing had not failed to keep up with the demand. Add to that the Nintendo DS portable and its clear lead in its category, and you can definitely say that this generation belongs to Nintendo with 18.5 million units sold. The biggest loser is Sony, with its PS3 on the bottom, but only by about half a million globally (9 million vs 9.5 million Xbox 360). The recent demise of HD-DVD could give the BlueRay player equipped PS3 a much needed boost, but only time will tell if lightning can strike twice for Sony (last generation the PS2, being a DVD player, got a much needed boost from the emerging DVD market). Things are looking up for it, though. Please note that these numbers are only for fiscal year 2008, with the total market weighing at roughly 24 million Wii, 20 million Xbox 360 and 12 million PS3 consoles.

The 3rd party sales (game titles) are weaker with the Wii, with the XBox 360 having a much higher title attachment rate. The Xbox 360 is enjoying a lot of developer support for that reason, and that built in market, along with the strength of Live's marketplace, may help to offset the BlueRay advantage the PS3 has for the upcoming fiscal year sales. At this point it really is anyone's game for second place, but the PS3 does have a lot of ground to make up for when it comes to total units in the market.

The Wii has managed to cross the void over to the casual gamer with its interactive controls, and this has opened up a bigger market than ever for home consoles (although it might prove that a lot of that new market segment may not buy many additional titles beyond the pack in games). I may be alone in this thought, but wouldn't it be grand if all of those seniors that are buying the Wii instead bought the Xbox 360 just to play Halo?

Aloha from the Beach,
greg

Well, it has happened. In the USA there are more homes with the internet than not, with more than 60% having some form of internet access. The non-online are now officially in the minority.

Of course, there is a reason that is is so popular, You can shop for bargains and hard to find items. You can see what movies are showing, decide what to wear by checking the weather, manage to eat by finding recipes and ordering groceries. You can communicate with others by email, forums, instant messenger, ip voice calls, video, text messaging, and so much more.

But what happens if you find yourself in the minority, without a connection? This can be especially frustrating if you have grown accustomed to having your data stream on demand.

One possibility is that you can enlist the help of a neighbor or friend. Put together a list of badly needed data, perhaps in the form of emails, saved web pages, pictures, videos, and music. Call up the helpful soul and give them the list, detailing what you need and ask them to save it allto a DVD or flash drive.

When you go to pick up your data, you do not need to explain all the details. Simply tell the neighbor that you are there to borrow a cup of internet.

Aloha from the Beach,
greg

Tag: DVD

Nintendo Domination in 2008

Borrow a cup